Fastening device



June 11, 1935. a. A. TINNERMAN 2,004,679

FASTENING DEVICE Filed Jan. 9, 1955 Patented June 11, 1935 George A.Tinnerm an,

Rocky River, Ohio, as-

' signor to Albert H. Tinnerman, Cleveland, Ohio Application January 9,

1 Claim.

This invention relates to fastening devices, and particularly to aspring clip which may be used for holding conduits, electricalconductors and the like in place upon a support. This device is 5designed to take the place of fastening devices using bolts and nuts inconnection with metallic clips of various sorts. These prior devices areexpensive to manufacture and to assemble, and the nuts are easilyloosened when the article is subjected to vibration.

In my copending application, Serial No. 643,981, filed November 23,1932, I disclosed a spring clip having a head insertable through anopening in a support and having a conduit holding arm or,

arms located on the side of the support from which the clip wasinserted. An object of the present invention is to provide a clipinsertable through an opening in a support and having article embracingportions on the side of the support opposite to that from which the clipis inserted. The clip here disclosed derives other advantages from theshape of the head, as herein described.

A further object of my invention is to make a fastener which can bereadily snapped into place, and when so positioned will firmly hold anarticle by spring tension of the clip head.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a fastener which willhold a plurality of panels in place and at the same time will hold aconduit or conductor firmly against one of said panels.

Referring now to the drawing, Fig. 1. is a perspective view of one formof my clip holding a conduit upon a support; Fig. 2 is a section throughthe device of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line 3--3 ofFig. 2, while Figs. 4 to 8 are further modifications of the invention.

A fastener embodying my invention may be made from a strip of round orflat wire, having resilient characteristics. The fastener may assumevarious shapes and forms, in accordance with the use for which it isintended, and a variety of such forms is illustrated herewith.

In Fig. 1 the clips I are shown extending through openings l3 in asupport l2, to hold the conduit Ii upon the support. The clip I0, whichis shown more in detail in Fig. 2, comprises a head portion 14, ofgreater extent than the hole I3, through which the clip is inserted. Thehead preferably has an arched portion l for a purpose presentlydiscussed. The metallic strip is then bent back upon itself, as at 20,following the general contour of the arch l5, and then bentsubstantially normal to the portions 20, as at 26, to

1933, Serial No. 650,772

form two arms I6, adapted to extend through'the hole I3 in the supportl2.

The clip may be formed so that the portions 26 in their normal,unstressed position lie somewhat farther apart than the walls of theopening l3, which contact the portions 26 whenthe clip is in place. v Itresults from this construction that the portions 26 are constrainedbetween the Walls of the opening so that the clip is firmly held inplace and will not turn easily. This is an advantage when the clip isused on an article produced on an assembly line, where the clips areinserted in proper position to take a later-assembled conduit.

The arms may be bent away from each other, as at I I to form shouldersengaging the upper surface of the support. The arms then have convergingportions l8 and if desired may be provided withthe diverging portions l9at their free ends to more readily permit the entry of the conduit Hwithin the clip. The portions l8 serve a double purpose. On the one handthey engage the walls of the opening in the support to press the arms I6 toward-each other, when the clip is inserted in the opening, and onthe other hand they bear upon the conduit 1 I above its axis, thuspressing the conduit downwardly upon the support. The arms l6 are soconstructed that the conduit ll, adapted to be vused with thisparticular clip, forces the arms away from each other, as it enters thefastener, and thereafter the converging portions l8 of the arms pressinwardly toward each other and at the same time press the conduitdownward toward the support.

The head i4 is so constructed that, in the position shown in Fig. 2, theact of forcing the arms I6 through the opening causes a reaction betweenthe ends 2! of the head against the support, placing an initial stressin the arched portion [5, supplemented by the arched portions 20. Theresulting spring tension of the arched head portion on one side of thesupport holds the shoulders I! firmly against the opposite side of thesupport. In the absence of an article between them, the arms l6 maybepressed together and the spring tension in the head will snap thedevice away from the support.

' The head I 4 is substantially flat in shape, although in Figs. 1, 2,3, 6 and 8, I have illustrated it as being slightly arched and this,together with the spring characteristic of the arched portion l5, givesa clip more satisfactory for certain purposes than the clip described inmy copending application, Serial No. 643,981. The relatively .fiat headis easier to push into place in a speedy assembly. The head lies closeto the support so that this clip may be used in restricted spaces. Thearched arrangement of the head permits the arms IE to adjust themselvesto supports varying somewhat in thickness. Also, the relatively flathead with its ends lying close to the support is not so easily dislodgedas is the V-shaped head of the copendingapplication.

The clip shown in Fig. 4 is similar to that in Fig. 2, but the portions22 of the head are bent not conformable to the arch l5, but horizontallyto conform to the fiat support l2. The spring action of the head tendingto pull the arms l6 back through the opening I3 is not so pronounced, inthis modification, asthat described in connection with Fig. 2.

The devices shown in Figs. 5 and 6 are similar to those alreadydescribed, and similar parts are similarly numbered. It will be notedthat in place of the shoulder portion I'I, sloping portions 23 and 24have been substituted. The tension created by the spring action of thehead H, as above described, tends to pull the arms l6 downward throughthe opening in the support l2. This pull, as exerted at the point wherethe sloping portions 23 and 24 impinge upon the support l2, causes thearms to pinch more tightly against the conduit ll. At the same time thedownward pull of the spring tension of the head is not resistedbyshoulders, as in Figs. 1-4, but is exerted on the portions l8 of thearms, which draw the conduit firmly toward the support.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 7, the clip is formed so thatbefore insertion into an opening in a support it normally assumes theposition shown in full lines. When the arms l6 are pressed together, andinserted through an opening in a support l2, the clip will take theposition shown in broken lines. Portions 25 of the arms which passthrough the opening normally tend to diverge at an obtuse angle to thehead portions 22, but are pressed together when inserted through theopening, and are held by the walls of the opening in the position shownin broken lines. In this position, the tension of the resilient metalholds the clip tightly in position in the opening, and at the same timethe position of the arms I6 is such as to tightly plate 30.

toward the normal position, while the same movement in the fastener ofFig. 2 bends the arms away from the normal position. The breakagenormally occurs at the shoulders.

Fig. 8 illustrates how the clip of Fig. 2 may be used to retain twopanel members or plates 30 and 3|, together, while at the same timeholding the conduit vll upon the outer surface of The parts are numberedin accord ance with the numbering of Fig. 2, and, as there described,the clip is inserted through registering openings l3, so as to create aspring tension in the arched portions l5 and of the head. The resultingpull downward upon the shoulder portions ll impinging upon the plate 30,and counteracted by the head M impinging against the plate 3|, pulls thetwo plates firmly together, while at the same time the convergingportions l8 of the arms l6 retain the conduit ll firmly in position uponthe outer surface of the plate 30.

I claim:

A snap fastener for holding tubes and the like, comprising an integralstrip of resilient metal of uniform width throughout, said strip beingbent intermediate its ends to form a head portion greater in extent thanan opening in a support through which the fastener is adapted to bepassed, said head being adapted to rest against one face of the support,a pair of arms extending from the head and adjacent the midportionthereof, the arms being flared outwardly to provide shoulder portionsthat are adapted to rest against the opposite face of the support and toreceive a tube or similar article, and being then extended inwardlytoward each other to embrace the tube, and said arms being flaredoutwardly again adjacent their free ends to facilitate the admission ofa tube.

GEORGE A. TINNERMAN.

